1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for facilitating replacement of a roll of material, such as a toilet paper roll, where the roll is held on a mandrel assembly including a telescoping tube assembly in which a first tube is received in a second tube and a spring is located between them to bias the tubes away from each other. The roll replacement facilitating device of the present invention facilitates compression of the spring and movement of the second tube toward the first tube so that the tube assembly can be removed from a holder to insert a new roll of material on the mandrel assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore various mandrel or telescoping tube assemblies have been proposed for holding a roll of material, such as a toilet paper roll. Also some of these mandrel or tube assemblies have included a radially projecting flange or tab extending radially outwardly from one of the tubes to facilitate movement of one tube against another tube of the mandrel or tube assembly. These prior structures require a special construction of one or both of the telescoping tubes and do not include a structure which can be mounted on or used with a conventional tube or mandrel assembly for a toilet paper roll. Also, there have been proposed, a mandrel or tube assemblies which permit the mounting of fragrance dispensing materials in the mandrel or tube assembly.
Some examples of previously proposed mandrel or tube assemblies for mounting a toilet paper roll and assemblies for dispensing a fragrance from the tube or mandrel assembly are disclosed in the following analogous and non-analogous U.S. Patents:
According to the present invention there is provided for use in, or in combination with, a mandrel assembly comprising first and second telescoping tubes which are biased outwardly from each other by a spring mechanism located between them, and the mandrel assembly being releasably mounted in a holder for holding a roll of material, the holder including a base and spaced apart, outwardly extending first and second legs, each having a selected width, the mandrel assembly being releasably mounted between the legs, a removable plate structure including a plate having an outer surface and an inner surface and having structure for removable mounting the plate onto one end of the mandrel assembly and the plate having an areal extent which extends beyond the width of the adjacent leg, whereby a user can easily engage the outer surface of the plate adjacent one leg with a thumb or finger and push the plate toward the other leg to compress the telescoping tubes to remove and replace a used up roll of material.